26 April 2013

According to a report launched here at the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group (LACOG) 2013 conference in Sao Paulo today, there will be 1.7 million cases of cancer diagnosed across Latin America and the Caribbean by 2030. Latin America faces a cancer epidemic unless governments act quickly to improve health care systems and treat the poor.

Non-government organizations (NGOs) focusing on cancer in Latin America have typically been founded by survivors motivated to help others and their primary focus has been de-stigmatizing cancer and giving hope to patients . Although NGOs have played an important role in increasing awareness, patient support, patient care and advocacy for policy change, the impact of advocacy groups has been rather limited in this region due to the lack of resources. Most of the advocacy groups find themselves filling a void and navigating patients to existing services or fighting in courts for access to treatments for individual patients.

However, advocacy groups in Latin America are increasingly aware of the need to change policy and have begun organizing themselves to take on a more comprehensive approach to cancer awareness and advocacy. The Society's capacity building, training, and grants programs in the region have played an important role in strengthening advocacy capacity and coalition building, leading to important policy impacts that have improved access to and quality of cancer prevention and care.

08 April 2013

In April, we observe World Health Day to celebrate the founding of the World Health Organization and to highlight global disease priorities. This year, the spotlight is on hypertension, a major contributor to cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease, along with cancer, diabetes, and respiratory diseases, are the leading causes of death in the world. Each year, these noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) cause about 65% of global deaths, taking the lives of 36 million people.

As developing countries experience economic progress and see a growing aging population, they also face a looming pandemic of NCDs. New cancer cases alone are projected to increase by 75% by 2030. The world's poorest populations are the most vulnerable to the health and economic consequences from these diseases. They face inadequate education and access to prevention, early detection, and treatment. Additionally, these diseases often cause death or disability in the most productive years of life. Yet, we know how to prevent and treat most NCDs. The technical expertise is available, but the political will, resource allocation, and multi-sectoral commitment is not yet to scale with the current and projected NCD health burden. The economy also suffers from NCDs -- without urgent action, chronic diseases could cost $47 trillion in the next two decades.

We have much to be thankful in April as we anticipate the May adoption of the World Health Organization's NCD Action Plan, which will help guide regional and national plans. This success, which builds upon the historic 2011 UN High-level Meeting on NCDs, is the result of public health advocates whose tireless grassroots work led to unprecedented grasstops change. NCDs are now on the map. But too many people still don't know what NCDs are or the health and economic toll they cause. Dr. Alessandro Demaio pointed out in a recent PLoS blog that we need to tone down the "negative rhetoric" on NCDs and focus on the opportunities we have to avoid political stagnation. Addressing NCDs through a comprehensive approach, he said, via sustainable development and strengthening health systems, will lead to a healthier environment and improve overall quality of life.

We should shine the light on positive outcomes and can change the tone or rhetoric, but we must continue to make some noise about NCDs. The definition of rhetoric can range from "empty talk" to passionate public orations from Plato and Aristotle to persuade specific audiences. In its most basic form, rhetoric simply means the art of discourse. It's important for global health advocates to keep a steady discourse on NCDs, and amplify the critical message about the disproportionate toll they take on countries least equipped to tackle them.